De Novo
by ryvuna
Summary: Mason awakes after months in stasis, and through a strange turn of events, finds himself living at Sanctuary. Chapter 12 up.
1. Chapter One

This is my first proper fanfiction, so I'd appreciate it if you tell me what you think. I've worked hard on it, but please tell me how I can improve.   
  
It's set in mid-season two, after Time Squared, but before Final Judgement. Oh, and if anyone's wondering, the title means 'starting again'.  
  
Enjoy :)  
  
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In Genomex, all was quiet and still. The morose, oppressive atmosphere had long been lifted, and with the demise of Gabriel Ashlocke, members of The Strand were no longer present.  
  
Mason Eckhart had been left lying in stasis for months on end. He drifted in and out of consciousness, most of the time he was unaware of anything. The stasis pod had an uncanny ability to keep anyone barely alive almost indefinitely.  
  
And that is where he would have stayed. That is, unless the nearby power station noticed that the Genomex complex was lying dormant, and its power bills going unpaid. The power was switched off. The lights went out. The air conditioning stopped, and the temperature rose from its formerly perpetual nuclear winter.  
  
And of course that meant that the power supply to the stasis pods was shut off.   
  
Mason felt breathless, as if he were suffocating. He tried to move. He had to find out what was going on. He opened his eyes just in time to see the lid of the stasis pod slide open. Everything came back to him, and he was overcome with a feeling of relief, but also dread.  
  
He tried to get up, but it was too painful. Instead, he lay there, staring up at the ceiling. He tried to recall the events that led to him being in stasis. Ashlocke. Yes, Ashlocke. That psychopathic new mutant alone justified the existence of the Genetic Security Agency. He had often entertained the thought of killing Ashlocke. He was irredeemable even as a child. He could have made it look like a technical malfunction. But he could never bring himself to do it. He paid dearly for his decision. Ashlocke could still be at large. Could have killed hundreds of innocent people. Maybe thousands. And he could have stopped it. He hated himself for his bad decisions and exceptionally poor judgement.  
  
Ashlocke had pinned him to the window in his own office using his 'gifts'. He then told Harrison to put him in stasis. Harrison complied with an almost worrying cheeriness. He'd obviously been waiting for a moment like this since he had got there. He had no choice but to resist as little as he could, thus maximising the chances of him escaping from the situation alive.  
  
He didn't know how long he'd been there. He searched his pockets for his phone, in the hope that it might tell him the date. When he finally found it he saw that the batteries were dead. He sighed, and dropped it over the side of the pod. It landed with a satisfying smash.  
  
Mason made a conscious decision to get up, whatever the costs. Just lying there would solve nothing.  
  
With some struggle, he sat up. His head spun, and he felt like he might be sick. All this was on top of the usual, unending pain that he had gotten used to, but it never lessened. He gathered his strength and swung his legs over the side of the pod. Before he knew it, he was standing up, though the room was spinning and he wanted badly to lie down again. He willed himself to stop shaking, and let go of the stasis pod. Walking slowly, he made it to the barrier between the stasis pod area and the walkway that encircled it.   
  
He sat down on it, thinking he would collapse if he tried to remain standing any longer. He pushed his glasses up his nose, and adjusted his wig. Its artificial hairs had become matted, but that was the least of his worries. His plastic skin was coming off his face, and he dreaded to think of what it was like on the rest of his body.  
  
Feeling a bit less dizzy, he stood up and smoothed the creases from his jacket. He decided he must leave, it was pointless sitting there in the dark. He made his way to the main doors and stepped outside.  
  
It was winter. A thick coat of snow covered the grass as far as the eye could see. He looked down at the path and hoped that the paths were covered with snow too, and not ice. It was only then that he realised how warm it must have been inside the building. Usually when he would go outside, the heat would hit him and make him want to retreat back to his nice safe clean office. The chill winter air blew flakes of snow around him and made him shiver.  
  
He began to walk slowly down the path. He knew the way, he'd been there many times before. Wandering around the complex had become quite a nightly habit of his. Once everyone had gone home for the night, there was not much to do.  
  
Finally he found himself at the access road. He'd been driven down there many times before, but he'd never walked down it. There was no sidewalk, so he walked to the side, next to the high privet hedge. He didn't know why though. No vehicles would be using this road. They had no reason to. He moved slowly, partly to avoid any further injury, partly because he did not know where he was going.  
  
After an age of silence, he knew that he was nearing the main road as he heard the familiar hustle and bustle of the traffic. He rounded the corner and went in the direction that would lead him into town.   
  
His legs were aching, and the desire to just give up and let himself fall onto the sidewalk was overwhelming.   
  
But still, he continued.   
  
He neared a cafe, and he had a thought as he glimpsed a computer monitor. Perhaps that blue-haired know-it-all would have some information on the new mutant situation, and maybe give him a clue as to what Adam was up to.  
  
He entered hesitantly, and instantly it was clear that the heating was way up. He regretted going inside. The place was probably crawling with germs, and being the winter season, people were likely to be coughing and sneezing all over him.  
  
He took a seat at a table as far away from the other customers as possible. Thankfully, there was only a young couple and a man reading a newspaper in the cafe.   
  
Although everything told him not to touch anything, he couldn't keep his head up any longer. He wanted to sleep. To escape from the situation. Escape from the horror. Escape from the pain. He slumped down in his seat and laid his head on the table.   
  
"What can I get ya?" A waitress said chirpily. He lifted his head off the table and sat up a little straighter. "Oh god, you look awful." She cried. He just looked at her, beyond caring. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"  
  
"No worse than usual." Was his reply. He forced a small smile. "I'll have a coffee. Black. No sugar."  
  
The waitress nodded and rushed off.   
  
He realised that he had completely forgotten what he had came there for in the first place. Proxy Blue. He turned around to look at the computer monitor. Strangely, a smartly dressed, obviously flesh and bones man was reading the news. He made a note to ask the waitress about it.  
  
But for now he concentrated on sitting up properly. Lying on the filthy table wasn't going to do him any good.  
  
"Here ya go." Said the waitress, giving him his coffee. She turned and started back to the kitchen.  
  
"Could I ask you something?" He said, at the last possible moment.  
  
She turned round and put on a fake smile. "Yes, what is it?"  
  
"What happened to Proxy Blue?" He asked, indicating the monitor.  
  
"Oh, she's been gone for a bit. A couple of months ago, the monitors went black for about an hour, then when they came back on again, there was a real man reading regular news. I guess they decided to go for the retro feel." She told him. "Chrissy reckons there's a big conspiracy behind it all. We're not busy right now, I'll get her to talk to you about it if you want."   
  
"If you don't mind." He said. Conspiracy. He couldn't help but wonder who was behind it. Adam. Maybe. But he never worried about her before. Ashlocke's people. No. They wanted the world to know about new mutants. The Government. Perhaps. But since when has any other department cared about this predicament?   
  
Another waitress emerged from the kitchen, bounded up to him and sat on the table. "Hi, I'm Chris. So whadda ya wanna know 'bout Proxy?" It was quite clear that she was an aficionado of the newscaster, for her hair was short and dyed bright blue.  
  
"What did she report on the day of her...ah...demise?" He asked carefully, while sliding his chair backwards. The woman was sitting unnervingly close.  
  
"You know, mutants and stuff, the usual. Though it seemed she got some new information that day. Something about two opposing forces. The Strand and the GSA. I don't know what The Strand is, but I did some digging and it seems the GSA is operating from the old Genomex facility. You know the one, that funky looking building not s'far away from 'ere. She was kinda sketchy, but she did give some names. I have 'em written down somewhere. It pays to be in the know." She broke off, and began to search a rather large handbag. Mason originally doubted that she actually knew anything, but he thought the list may prove to be useful.   
  
"Oh, here it is." She said, drawing a tattered piece of paper from the depths of her bag. She passed it to him and he placed it on the table. His name was on there. No surprise. Adam. Breedlove. Ashlocke. Harrison. The rest he supposed were assorted Genomex scientists and members of The Strand. He quickly memorised them, before passing it back to her. "Mean anything to you?"  
  
"No." He said. He didn't trust her. He wasn't about to give away his identity.   
  
"Me neither. Dunno why I kept it. Silly really." She laughed and stuffed it back in her bag.  
  
"Who do you think is behind this...conspiracy?" He asked, wondering if he could get anything useful out of her.  
  
"The government probably. They're behind everything. Or maybe one of the two factions. Well, the GSA is the government. I don't know. All I know is I'm not going to stop before I find out the truth!" She said triumphantly. Mason felt strangely guilty about not telling her who he was. She'd be thrilled. He shook his head. He really was losing it.   
  
She jumped off the table. "Well, I'd better get back to work. Can't stay and talk about conspiracies all day ya know! Oh, before I go, will you tell me, is that a wig?"  
  
"Yes." He said exasperatedly. He hadn't been asked that for years, but it still annoyed him. He flattened his hair self-consciously. It was probably looking awful by now.  
  
She trotted off and left him alone with his untouched coffee. He didn't really want it, he knew that cafes did not hold the same concept of clean as he did. It was probably cold by now anyway. He slipped a five dollar bill under the ashtray and left.  
  
In a way, he was relieved to leave the heat and filth of the cafe, but on the streets he felt exposed and vulnerable. He put his hands in his pockets, kept his head down and trudged on through the snow. Once again, he had no idea where he was going, but he liked to feel that he was going somewhere. He passed several people as he walked. He had no doubt that they were all giving him funny looks, but he didn't even look at them. He didn't feel like there was any point. No one cared. In the outside world, no one respected his authority.   
  
***  
  
Adam put the phone down and sighed wearily. He thought that finally everything had settled down and he could have a rest for once. No such luck. There was another situation that needed sorting out, and he thought he'd better go and get it over with.  
  
He put his jacket on, and headed for the garage, hoping not to alert the others to his departure.   
  
"Where ya going, Adam?" Shalimar asked, breaking from the group that the team had formed around the stairs.   
  
"I have some business to attend to." Adam told her, hoping that would satisfy her. He didn't want to have to explain if he didn't have to.  
  
"What kinda business?" Asked Brennan, who was lounging on the stairs.  
  
"Well, it seems that someone from the underground has spotted a certain someone wandering around the streets." Adam said, watching the faces of his team as the realisation set in. There was a long silence.  
  
"But Adam, how could it be Eckhart? I mean, he's been in stasis for about...four months now." Jesse said.   
  
"Oh but there are several ways he could have escaped. I designed the stasis pods to have a release button that is only accessible if you have the key. There is also a control room which can open them all at once. Also, when the power fails, if certain measures are not taken the stasis pods will automatically open. I suspect the latter." Adam explained.  
  
"I'm coming with you." Shalimar demanded.  
  
"Shalimar, there really is no need. I think you'll find that Eckhart is quite harmless without his lackeys running around after him." Adam told her.   
  
"But Adam..." She began, but Emma took her arm and pulled her back.  
  
"Let him go." She told her.  
  
***  
  
After almost an hour of driving around town, Adam still saw no sign of Mason. He wasn't sure whether he should be worried, apathetic, or mad at the new mutants from the safehouse downtown for winding him up. He hated driving in the snow at the best of times.   
  
He was about to give up and go back to Sanctuary when he drove past a park. If he remembered correctly, Mason had been quite fond of taking walks in that park back when he still had his health. He turned around and parked the car.  
  
As he wandered through the park, memories of the old days at Genomex came back to him. Everyone seemed to get on with each other, and the days just flew by. It was partly his fault that all that changed.   
  
He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he nearly walked past who he was looking for. Sitting on a snow covered bench, half snow covered himself, Mason sat with his head in his hands. He was dizzy from all the walking, and he could feel his condition worsening. Adam sat down next to him, but he made no indication that he had noticed.  
  
"Back in the land of the living then Mason?" Adam said.  
  
"Adam..." Mason said pathetically. He cringed at how he sounded. He cleared his throat and straightened up. "Why are you here?"  
  
Adam began explaining to him what happened, but Mason could not concentrate on his voice, and simply stared at him uncomprehendingly. "Are you even listening to me? Mason, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing...everything..." He began, but broke off. "I don't need anyone's pity. Certainly not yours." He started to shiver again, but the cold wasn't what was bothering him. Adam watched him, not sure what he should do. Mason wasn't acting like himself. His speech pattern was different, and he could hardly stay upright, even though he was sitting down.  
  
"I can help you." Adam said, and quickly added. "If you want."  
  
Mason looked up at him, and Adam could tell that he desperately wanted to say yes. But he was too proud. "No Adam, I am not going to accept your help. It is far too late for that." Adam began to wish he'd brought Emma with him. Mason was just...difficult.  
  
"I'm afraid I'm not going to take no for an answer. You're coming with me whether you like it or not." He stood up and held out his hand. Mason didn't move. "Are you coming with me or not?" He didn't answer. "Look, if I have to drag you back to the car, I will. But I'm not leaving you out here to die." He reached to grab Mason's arm, and he shrank back.  
  
"If I am to have no choice, then I will walk." Mason stated, struggling to stand. He finally managed to get up and took a few steps. It made him wonder how he had gotten there from Genomex. They walked slowly through the deserted park, snow falling and swirling around them. 


	2. Chapter Two

Well, here's chapter two. It took a bit of time to finish, because I haven't had so much time to write, what with starting college and all. I was hoping to make the chapters about double the length of the first chapter (as that was the prologue), but then they'd take months to write. I think it'll be best to write a lot of chapters this length. Anyway, enough with my rambling, on with the story.  
  
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Mason awoke confused and disorientated once again. He was somewhere different now, somewhere unfamiliar. Only this time it seemed much more pleasant. He was lying in a bed, and the relentless discomforting pain had disappeared, to be replaced with a sickly dizziness. He looked around the room and was surprised to see Emma DeLauro at his bedside. Her hair was longer, and a different colour, he noticed, but he still recognised her. How could he forget her? She was leaning on the rail at the side of the bed, staring blankly at the wall.  
  
"Miss DeLauro?" He said, but not in his usual condescending tone. He had no need to be unpleasant. That made her jump, and she nearly fell backwards.  
  
"O-oh, you're awake." She said, her voice quavering. She regretted agreeing to do this job for Adam. But, she thought, the way he asked her, he wasn't exactly going to take no for an answer.  
  
"So this is Sanctuary." He said plainly. He felt as if he'd been there before, but whenever he thought of it, his mind drew a blank. Emma nodded her head and avoided eye contact. She wasn't exactly sure how she was supposed to act around him. She couldn't understand why Adam brought him to Sanctuary after all the terrible things he had done.  
  
Mason sighed. He was physically and mentally drained, and found is hard to comprehend what had happened to him over the past twenty four hours. He raised a hand to his face, and a wave of vague panic washed over him. His fake skin was peculiarly absent.  
  
"What did Adam do to me?" He asked, the weariness showing in his voice.  
  
"Adam saved your life, that's what he did." Emma said defensively. "He was working all day and half the night to save you!"  
  
Mason closed his eyes, partly because he was tired, and partly because he didn't want to talk to Emma, and he was sure she didn't want to talk to him.  
  
A little while later, Shalimar bounded into the lab. Being a feral, she rarely slept normal hours and was prone to midnight prowls.  
  
"How's it goin' Em?" She asked cheerfully.  
  
"Oh, just fine Shal, just fine." Said Emma, stifling a yawn.  
  
Shalimar lent over the bed to look at Mason. "Is he dead?" She asked. His eyelids flickered open and he fixed his gaze on her.  
  
"Don't get your hopes up, Miss Fox. I do not plan on dying any time soon." He stated calmly.  
  
Shalimar looked up at Emma, a sly grin on her face. "Have you told him yet?" Emma shook her head, but before she had time to say anything, Shalimar blurted out. "You're a new mutant now." There was a long silence.  
  
"What?" Mason said, a look of disbelief on his face. Emma was trying not to giggle, but Shalimar looked dead serious.  
  
"Now you'll know how it is to be on the receiving end of hate and prejudice." She said malevolently. Mason wasn't sure whether to believe her. Her behaviour indicated that she was being truthful, but he'd seen far too many people who were extremely proficient at deception to be absolutely sure.  
  
"She's telling the truth." Emma said, sensing his skepticism. He looked at the two of them patronizingly.  
  
"Miss Fox, Miss DeLauro, you should both know by now that I do not like to be joked with." He said. But what if they weren't joking? He didn't want to believe that. He hoped they were joking.  
  
"Look, I'll go and get Adam if you don't believe me. We're telling the truth." Emma said, crossing her arms. With that, she left the room. Shalimar followed, but not before glaring at Mason as her eyes flashed yellow.  
  
Not joking. Perfect. Just perfect.  
  
***  
  
Adam walked quickly to the lab even though he was still half asleep. He didn't feel like dealing with Mason this early in the morning, but the girls had insisted.  
  
"How are you feeling?" He asked as he entered. Mason ignored the question and gave him a look of utter contempt.  
  
"How could you do this to me?" He said, his voice low. "I thought you might have changed. I should have expected this."  
  
"I had no other option." Adam said plainly. He didn't want to get into an argument.  
  
"No. You have not changed a bit. I have become the latest genetic aberration of yours. Thank you Adam. Never has anyone had such an impression on me. I can only be thankful that there is no further way that you could possibly ruin my life."   
  
"Mason, I saved your life. It was the only way I could. Granted, sometimes I think you deserve it, but I couldn't bring myself to let you die."  
  
"Ever so kind." He said neutrally. Adam thought he was probably being sarcastic, but with Mason it was sometimes hard to tell. After a short silence, he asked. "What month is it, Adam?"  
  
"It's January."   
  
"Four months." He almost whispered to himself. "How unfortunate for me. I missed Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year. What a disappointment." Adam couldn't help but smile. Back when they both worked at Genomex, Mason made a yearly tradition of telling everyone how he hated those holidays. Mason smiled for a moment, too, but it soon faded. "Tell me what has happened in that space of time. Where is Ashlocke?" He always found that concentrating on his work always seemed to take his mind off himself.  
  
"Ashlocke is dead." Adam told him. "The Strand seems to have fallen apart without him, and is no longer a threat." Mason nodded. He wasn't surprised, but he was relieved.  
  
"Is the general public now aware of the new mutant situation?"  
  
"No. After Ashlocke's death, there was a lot of controversy surrounding Genomex. Your disappearance was on the news. But nobody got close to the truth. An immense cover-up was put into operation, Proxy Blue suddenly vanished, and tabloids, The Midnight Press and the like, were taken off shelves and the internet."   
  
"So you weren't behind Proxy Blue's disappearance? Surprising."  
  
"Of course I wasn't. Ninety nine percent of her viewers thought she spouted pure fiction. She never had any proof, and to the average person, her stories were totally unbelievable. But someone obviously thought otherwise." Mason thought about this for a minute. Adam was either withholding information, or he genuinely didn't know. Either way, he decided to change the subject.  
  
"Have you had the pleasure of meeting any of my ex-employees?" He asked, thinking about those awful people. He hated every one of them, they deserved eternal suffering for their stupidity and lack of common sense, but he'd settle for never seeing any of them again.  
  
"Strangely enough, no. I expected a huge surge in new mutant related crimes, but there's been no more than usual."   
  
"I must have gotten through to them." He didn't feel any remorse for putting them in stasis. The lot of them were senseless and disobedient, and deserved a lot worse.  
  
"Tell me, how are you feeling?" He asked, hoping for an answer this time.  
  
"Unusually well."   
  
"Good, the treatment must be working then. I'll need to monitor your condition for at least another two days, but I'm certain that you'll make at least a partial recovery."  
  
"Adam, there is something I must ask you. Why are you going to all this trouble for me?" He cringed at what he had just said, he hadn't meant to phrase it like that. So he quickly added. "Or am I just another of your lab rats?" Adam gave him an indignant look, but refrained from making a malicious comeback. It was pointless arguing with him, he'd never win.  
  
"I suppose I feel guilty. It's all my fault, and I have to put it right. You mean a lot to me, Mason." He paused and looked away. "I've got some things to do. I'll be back to check on you in an hour or so." He said while walking to the door. Mason felt his eyes closing, and he couldn't fight it. Before he knew it he had fallen into a dreamless sleep.  
  
***  
  
Adam walked over to join his team. He had called a meeting to discuss the situation. Or rather to hear their disapprovals and refute their reasons why this was a bad idea. He knew that they wouldn't understand. He didn't really expect them to. Mason had passed out in the car, so he'd had to carry him into Sanctuary. The looks on their faces had been simply priceless. He'd spent all morning trying to come up with a good explanation, but without much luck.  
  
He opened his mouth to say something, but Brennan cut him off. "Adam, what do you think you're doing bringing that maniac in here? What the hell's gotten into you?"  
  
"Well..." He began, desperately trying to come up with something, "...as you know, once upon a time Mason was a good friend of mine. I simply couldn't just let him die." He said, though he knew that wouldn't be a good enough explanation for them.  
  
"What about all the people he's tortured and killed. Does that not matter?" Jesse demanded. He crossed his arms and leant back against the wall.  
  
"I can't make excuses for him. We have all done things that we later regret..."  
  
"But Adam, he doesn't regret a damn thing. It's almost as if...as if he does it for fun." Shalimar growled. "Anyway, now he'll see what it's like to be one of us. What do you reckon, Em?" Emma, who was sitting beside her had been very quiet up until now.  
  
"I don't know. I don't agree with what you're doing, Adam. But if you think it is the right thing to do..." She just trailed off. Adam was glad to have an ally, but he couldn't help but notice that Emma was strangely distracted and gloomy.  
  
"Emma, what's wrong?" He asked, sitting down next to her.  
  
"Nothing, I'm fine." Adam looked at her disbelievingly. "I'm just a bit tired, that's all. If you don't mind I'm going to go and meditate." She didn't want to come to this meeting, she had other things on her mind. She stood up and made her way to her room.  
  
"Wonder what's eating her?" Brennan said, turning round to watch her leave.  
  
"You know Adam, you really shouldn't have made her watch Eckhart last night. Who knows what that's done to her. I know it'd drive me crazy. And you know Emma's sensitive to things." Shalimar stalked off after her, not waiting for another excuse from him.  
  
"Well, I've got some work to do." Jesse said, heading up the stairs.  
  
"Yeah, me too." Brennan followed.  
  
Adam sat there and ran a hand through his hair. Well that went well, he thought. Emma was upset, and everyone else was violently against him.  
  
***  
  
Shalimar sniffed the air as she approached Emma's room. Incense.   
  
"Emma?" She called and knocked on the door. There was no answer, so she opened the door and went in.   
  
Emma was sitting in the lotus possition on the floor. The lights were out and she had lighted some candles. She opened her eyes.  
  
"Oh, Shalimar it's you." She got up and sat on her bed.  
  
"So you gonna tell me what's up?"  
  
"Shal, it's horrible..." Tears began to well up in her eyes. Shalimar sat down and put her arm around her friend. "...I'm having visions again...I thought I'd learnt to block them...but it's not working this time..." She sniffed, and a tear ran down her cheek.  
  
Shalimar leant her head on Emma's and squeezed her sympathetically. "Want to tell me about it?" She whispered softly.  
  
She began to relate her visions, but could hardly speak through her sniffles. "I keep seeing small flashes...it doesn't make much sense. A young boy ...he was at a funeral...I've never lost anyone close to me...but I felt the loss...the sadness..." She stopped and wiped her eyes, which were now streaming with tears. "...then I saw a dead woman lying on a bed...he was staring at her...I felt a sense of panic...a sense of dread...then he was in a dark building...a mental hospital...I heard shouting and screaming. Shal...he's terrified...I don't know what this means..."   
  
"Do you think this boy is somehow trying to connect with you? Maybe he's a psionic too. You should tell Adam."   
  
"Maybe he is...but I just don't think it'll be much use. I only had a few glimpses...I didn't recognise anything."  
  
"We've got to do something, Emma, I'm not going to let anyone else suffer like I did, and I hate seeing you like this. I'm not just gonna stand around and do nothing." She stood up and took a step towards the door, before turning back to face Emma. "I'm gonna tell Adam, you coming with me?"  
  
Emma took a tissue and dried her eyes. She blinked a few times, then got up. "Yeah, I'm coming." 


	3. Chapter Three

First of all, I just want to say a big thanks to everyone who reviewed. I really wasn't expecting this kind of response. Just wow! Thanks for all the encouragement everyone! I'm really having fun writing this, and it's great to see that other people like it too. Since everyone seemed so eager to read the next chapter, I wrote this in a couple of days. I know the chapters are getting steadily shorter (and my ramblings at the top are getting progressively longer) but I just got to a part that'd make a good ending. Don't worry though, I'll get the next chapter done quickly (you'll see why when you get to the end).  
  
If you're an absolute obsessive fan of the show (like me), you may already be able to take a guess at what's happening to Emma. But if not, you're in for a big surprise.   
  
In case it's a bit confusing, this next scene takes place at the same time as the last scene of chapter two. Anyway, without any further ado, here's chapter three.  
  
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Adam sat for a few minutes, thinking about all the things that had gone wrong in the last two days. Perhaps he had brought it on himself. But when he thought about it, he knew he had done the right thing. At least he hoped he had.  
  
He got up and walked over to the lab. He'd better check on Mason. He had left him for a couple of hours, and after all the trouble he'd gone to to save his life, he didn't want him dying on him. He'd better he grateful, he thought. But somehow he knew that he wasn't, and he never would be.  
  
Mason was sitting up in bed. A faraway look was in his eyes, but he didn't look at all relaxed. When Adam entered the room, he snapped back to reality.  
  
"Adam," he said, "I was wondering how long you were planning on keeping me captive here." It was more of a statement than a question. Either way, Adam ignored it.  
  
"You look a lot better, Mason." He hoped he could subdue him and prevent an argument. Perhaps they might even be able to have a normal conversation.  
  
"Better...ah yes. Though I simply do not know if I could call the state I am in well. I have not felt well in such a long time that I have all but forgotten what it feels like." Adam couldn't help but notice that there was an accusing tone in his voice. He hated how Mason had a knack of making him feel uncomfortable and in the wrong.  
  
"Look, I know what to you I did was terrible and unforgivable. Yes, I know. But please, can we go for one conversation without you bringing it up."  
  
"Really, Adam. What makes you jump to that conclusion? That it is in the past, it is a fait accompli." He said offhandly, though a little too quickly. Adam forced himself to be pleasant, if only to get out of the room more quickly.  
  
"Is there anything I can get you? Anything you want?"   
  
"There are many things I want, Adam, and you are not at liberties to provide them for me. However I would like a glass of water." He paused for a second. "Bottled water, Adam. Regardless of how I feel, I do not think it would be wise to take any unnecessary risks."  
  
"Ok." Adam said grudgingly. He had to get it for him, he had offered after all. Mason was so finicky and particular. It was clear that he was used to having his instructions carried out to the letter.  
  
He set off to the kitchen, but just as he stepped through the lab door, Shalimar caught him. She looked very anxious.  
  
"Adam. You've gotta help. Emma's having visions again." She told him hurriedly. She grabbed hold of his sleeve and pulled him over to where Emma was standing.   
  
Emma was huddled over with her arms round herself and her head down. As she looked up, Adam saw that the her face was red and her eyes were scared and full of unshed tears.  
  
"Oh Emma..." He said, looking at her with compassion. He took a stride forward and wrapped his arms around her. She laid her head on his shoulder and began to sob into his jacket. Meanwhile, Shalimar paced restlessly.   
  
After what seemed like eternity, Emma lifted up her head and let go of him. "Want to tell me what you saw?" Adam asked softly. She nodded, wiped her eyes, and began to tell him what she told Shalimar. A look of horror crossed his face as she told him, but he made no comment on her visions.  
  
"Emma, you've got to understand that your abilities may still be evolving, and that may be causing these visions. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to stop what you're seeing, but I'm sure you can put it to use. Try and remember all you can about the boy, then go and get Jesse to search the new mutant database to see if we have a match." He put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be alright, I promise." Then he set off on his former route, to the kitchen.  
  
"I don't remember much at all really." Emma said after he had left.  
  
"Oh, come on Em, you must remember something. Just think. We've gotta try and help this boy." Emma closed her eyes and tried to bring up a memory of the vision.  
  
"...he has dark hair, brown I think. His eyes are a light colour, blue...or maybe green. He looked to be about ten to early teens. But I can't be sure...oh it's too blurry...he looks somehow familiar, but he can't be. I don't know anyone that age."   
  
"That might be enough, lets see if Jesse can get anything." Shalimar grasped her arm and pulled her towards the stairs.  
  
***  
  
Adam opened the refrigerator to see that they were out of bottled water. Great. He'd meant to ask someone to go shopping to replenish the supplies earlier in the week. He shrugged. Taking a glass out of the cupboard, he filled it with water from the faucet. Mason would never tell the difference. Anyway, it'd just have to do.  
  
He loitered in the kitchen for a while, enjoying the time alone. He had been under so much stress lately, and hadn't had a moment to himself. He reminded himself to take a holiday as soon as things quietened down. But they never did.  
  
Finally, he decided he'd better get back to Mason, so he set off to the lab.  
  
He accepted the glass without a word and took a sip.  
  
Mason looked up at him gravely. "Adam, I can taste the chlorine."   
  
Adam sighed and rolled his eyes. Typical.  
  
***  
  
"Hey guys." Shalimar said as she bounded up the stairs. Jesse was sat at the computer, and Brennan was leaning against the wall, reading the old Walt Whitman paperback that he loved so much. "I expected to find Jesse up here, but what're you doing here Brennan?" She asked, teasing.  
  
"Hey, can't a guy have some time alone to read poetry?" He refuted.  
  
Emma walked slowly over to Jesse and put a hand on the back of his chair. She explained her visions to him, and he nodded and commented on how awful they were. "So do you think you can search the database for this boy?"  
  
"Sure thing." He said. "I'll see what I can do."   
  
She gave him a vague description of what she remembered, and with a few keystrokes, he had searched the database for a match.  
  
"Twelve matches." Jesse said, and brought up the first one. Emma shook her head, the boy looked too young. The second one wasn't him. Nor the next one. He went through them all, and each time Emma shook her head. None of them were the boy she had seen, she was sure of it.  
  
"He's not there. Oh Jesse, what are we gonna do?" She said, starting to panic. She hated having visions, but not being able to do anything made it worse.  
  
"'Fraid there's nothing we can do. Being that age, he must be a second generation new mutant, and we can't keep tabs on them. Who knows how many there are out there who're not in the database."  
  
"No luck?" Shalimar asked, though she could tell by the melancholy look on Emma's face that there wasn't.  
  
"No." She said sadly. "Oh, what can I do? I can't just do nothing."  
  
"Come on, lets go tell Adam. He'll know what to do."  
  
They went downstairs and for a while they wandered about looking for him. Then Shalimar spotted him in the lab, arguing with Mason.  
  
Emma followed her inside, but she only got as far as the doorway. She opened her mouth, but couldn't speak. A sudden realisation had hit her, and everything began to make a strange kind of sense. 


	4. Chapter Four

I'm glad to see that some people are catching on, even if they don't think they're right. All I can say is, you are! If you're still puzzled about what's going on, this chapter will explain things nicely for you. I'll try to do two chapters a week from now on, but I can't promise anything. Once again, thanks for all the great reviews, they make me oh so happy :)  
  
But this chapter is anything but happy. It's dark, sad and angsty. You may even need to break out the tissues.  
  
******************************************************  
  
"But I don't understand..." Emma began. Everyone turned round to look at her. She was still standing in the doorway, looking very confused.  
  
"What do you mean Emma?" Adam asked.  
  
"...no, it can't be." She shook her head. "But I know it is."  
  
"What Emma?" Shalimar asked, wondering what all this was about.  
  
"He's the boy from my visions." She pointed a Mason with some unsureness. Adam and Shalimar looked surprised. Mason simply looked at her severely.  
  
"Explain yourself, Miss DeLauro." He demanded.  
  
Emma wasn't sure what to say. She looked to Shalimar for support, but she looked utterly puzzled.  
  
"I've been having visions." She said matter-of-factly. She paused and bit her tongue to prevent herself crying again. "I saw a little boy in horrible situations. He was at a funeral...then...in a mental hospital...and...he saw a dead woman lying on a bed..."   
  
My mother, thought Mason. How he missed her. She was one of the few people who he ever loved. He tried to repress these memories, and told them to no-one. He had hoped desperately that he would never have to face them again.  
  
"...I realise now that boy was you." She looked at him questioningly, waiting for some kind of confirmation.  
  
"How dare you." He said, forcing himself to glare at her. He wasn't angry, he almost expected something like this. He just used the anger to cover up his real feelings. He hated people knowing his secrets. It made them think he was weak, or even worse, pity him. But perhaps it was pointless, Emma DeLauro was a telempath. He couldn't hide anything from her.  
  
"I'm sorry." She said. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes again. Not wanting to let herself cry again, she clenched her fists and dug her nails into her palms. "It wasn't my fault. I didn't want to see those things. It wasn't as if I wanted to see them."  
  
"Are you implying that this is my fault?" He said incredulously.  
  
"No." She said. Everything she said he turned against her. "I'm sorry you had to go through those things, I can imagine how you feel."  
  
"Miss DeLauro, my feelings are none of your concern. And I would thank you to keep out of my mind." He said coldly.  
  
"I try to be sympathetic and this is what I get. I don't know why I even bother." She yelled tearfully, almost running out of the room.  
  
"Emma..." Shalimar began, but she was already gone. She shot a concerned glance at Adam, then went off after her.  
  
"Why did you never tell me about this Mason?" Adam asked after she was gone.  
  
"There are many things that you do not know about me, Adam. And frankly I would like it to stay that way."  
  
"How could you live keeping all that to yourself?"   
  
"As you well know, I am not one to wear my heart on my sleeve. Those incidents are merely scratching the surface." He looked at Adam intensely. "I do not plan on sharing the rest with you. That is unless Miss DeLauro decides to pry into my memories again." He paused for a moment. "I would like some time to myself if you do not mind." He was aware that his voice was quavering. He couldn't keep up this facade for much longer.   
  
Adam promptly left. He was glad to get out of Mason's way.  
  
***  
  
He found the girls sitting by the reflecting pool. Emma was sitting with her head on Shalimar's shoulder and she was obviously very upset.  
  
He crouched down to their level. "You alright Emma?"   
  
She lifted up her head and nodded slightly. She sniffed and dried her eyes. "I just don't understand how he can be so heartless and insensitive. Those were his memories, I wouldn't expect anyone to react like that. All I wanted to do was help."  
  
"I know, Emma, I know." He shook his head. "I feel so responsible for this. I'm sorry for everything I put you through."  
  
"Thanks Adam, but it's not your fault." She paused and looked down into the pool for a moment. "Adam, what's going on? I've never seen anyone's memories before."  
  
Adam sat down next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm afraid that I have no simple answer for you. As I said before, it seems that your powers are evolving and growing in ways that even I can't predict."  
  
"Adam, I can't take any more of this. There must be something you can do." She said with hopeful desperation.  
  
"I don't have any quick fix. I'm sorry, Emma. You're just going to have to learn to control them, just like you did with your telempathic visions. I know you Emma, I know you're strong enough to get through this."  
  
She looked down and let out a sorrowful sigh.  
  
***  
  
Mason sat swirling the water round in the glass. Everything was flooding back to him. All his childhood memories, but with the minor good events omitted. He felt a horrible sick, empty feeling inside of him.   
  
He had lived in constant denial of his childhood. He tried not to dwell on it, but every so often the memories came to the surface.   
  
The loss of his brother at age seven taught him an early lesson in the injustices of the world. By age thirteen, his mother had taken her own life, leaving him with his abusive father who didn't give a damn about anyone but himself. He made a conscious effort to not to become like his father, the only role model he had. But he couldn't help but think that he had failed.  
  
He took a gulp of water to calm himself. Then another. Before he knew it he had almost emptied the glass. Insisting that it be bottled water had simply been for show. Besides, he was past caring.  
  
He sat, deep in thought, for a long time. He was glad to be alone again. But he was far from happy.  
  
He was only disturbed when Adam appeared in the doorway. Mason looked at him and inclined his head to acknowledge his presence.   
  
"Have you finished with the glass?" He asked with a note of hostility. He nodded and passed it to him. Adam took it, but did not leave immediately. This made Mason uncomfortable, so he tried to make conversation.  
  
"Do you have any idea what variety of new mutant I am?" Mason asked simply to break the air. That was a relatively pleasant thought.  
  
"I really don't know, Mason." Adam said impatiently. "Perhaps you have the ability to really piss everyone off." He turned and left.   
  
Adam probably meant to talk to him about something, but thought better of it. Perhaps he should have kept quiet. Though considering the possible topics, maybe it was for the best.  
  
***  
  
Shalimar wandered up the stairs to check on the boys. She was still worried about Emma, but she'd let her go to her room to have a lie down.  
  
"Hey Shal, where's Emma?" Brennan asked. He was still reading the same book.   
  
"She's gone to have a rest." She told him. "Oh, we know who the boy is."  
  
"Really? Who?" He asked, letting the book drop to the floor.  
  
"It's Eckhart." She said.  
  
"What?" Jesse exclaimed.  
  
Brennan started laughing. "You have got to be kidding right?" But her face stayed straight.  
  
"You're serious?" Jesse said in astonishment.  
  
"I'm afraid so. I'm as surprised as you guys. I have no idea."   
  
"What, so Emma saw his memories or something?" Brennan asked.  
  
"Yeah, something like that." Shalimar said. She shook her head. "She's not taking it well. I mean you saw how she was before. Now she's a whole lot worse."  
  
"Hey, I don't blame her. I mean I could do without knowing all that about Eckhart."   
  
"Now we know why he's sick and twisted." Jesse said.  
  
"That doesn't excuse anything." Shalimar retorted, her eyes glowing yellow as she remembered her own childhood. "Besides, his childhood can't have affected him that much. He was a tactless bastard as usual."  
  
"Why, what's he been saying to Emma?"   
  
"Oh, you know what he's like, Brennan. I don't know why Emma's letting him get to her."  
  
"That's it. This is not on, I'm not having him acting like he owns the place. I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind." With that he was off.  
  
Brennan don't, Shalimar almost said. But she stopped herself, as she couldn't think of a reason to stop him. 


	5. Chapter Five

This chapter was a bit hard work to write, so I hope it turned out ok. I'll try and keep the author's notes to a minimum from now on, I know my ramblings aren't very interesting. So here is chapter five.  
  
****************************************************  
  
Emma was lying on her bed, fighting back tears. She wanted to go to sleep so that maybe when she awoke, she would have forgotten all about everything. She was angry with herself for crying, but no matter how much she told herself not to, the horrible things she had seen came back to her.  
  
She sat up, and made a conscious effort to ignore the memories. She wasn't going to let them upset her any more. Eckhart doesn't care, she thought, and neither should I. But she did feel somehow sorry for him. No, she told herself, he doesn't deserve my sympathy.  
  
***  
  
Brennan marched off to the lab. He wasn't exactly sure what he'd say, but he hadn't thought a lot about that.  
  
"Ah, Mr Mulwray." Mason said as he entered the room. "Another visitor. I am popular today."  
  
Brennan crossed his arms. "What have you been saying to Emma?" He asked accusingly.  
  
"Whatever do you mean?" He enquired calmly.  
  
"You know what I mean. She's really upset, and I'm not having that."  
  
"Upset? I am the one who should be upset. She invaded my memories." Unlike Brennan, he managed to keep his voice at an even tone.  
  
"Oh no, you're not putting the blame on her. I'm not going to let you treat her like that. You leave her alone, or else. This is our home, and you play by our rules." He was almost shouting, but he restrained himself. Adam would yell at him if he heard.  
  
"I am not here of my own will, Mr Mulwray, and I would gladly leave."  
  
"Why don't you just do that then?"  
  
"In fact I might do that. Such a good idea, Mr Mulwray." He pushed the blanket off himself and got out of bed. He was still fully dressed.  
  
Brennan stalked off. Good, Mason thought. He would be glad to get away from this place, and away from the insufferable people. He sat on the bed for a short while, working out what he would do. Back to Genomex, he supposed. Someone would have to deal with the mess at that place.   
  
He got up and walked slowly but precisely out of the room. With a little searching, he managed to locate Adam in the room which served as his office.  
  
"Mason? What are you doing up?" He asked, surprised.  
  
"I'm leaving, Adam. Now if you'd kindly direct me to the exit, I must be going."  
  
"What are you talking about? I'm not letting you go in this state."   
  
Mason looked at him for a moment. "Then you'd better add kidnap to your ever-growing list of crimes."  
  
Adam shook his head. "Mason, why are you being like this? All I've tried to do is help you. What possible reason could you have for wanting to leave?"  
  
"Adam." He said deliberately. "Since I arrived here, I have been insulted, had my privacy invaded and my DNA irreparably tampered with. I think that is sufficient reasoning, do you not?"   
  
Adam was about to say something, but he was cut off. The light above his head shattered. Shards of glass rained down from the ceiling. He leapt backwards, narrowly missing them. The second light exploded, and the room was plunged into darkness.  
  
Mason began to feel dizzy and faint. He was suddenly exhausted. "Adam," He began breathlessly, "I cannot help but think that I was responsible for that..." He stumbled backwards, and collapsed.   
  
***  
  
"Mason?" Was the next thing he heard. "Mason, are you alright?" He opened his eyes. He was lying on a bed again. The back of his head was hurting, and he had a terrible headache. The last thing he remembered was the lights exploding, and then he thought he must have fallen and been knocked unconscious.  
  
"What happened, Adam?" He asked, though he wasn't referring to the events.  
  
Adam smiled. "It seems that your new mutant abilities decided to show themselves. At least now we now know what kind of new mutant you are. You're a telekinetic." Mason was silent for a moment.  
  
"I simply do not know whether to be appalled or relieved."  
  
"I am sorry about what happened, but I must tell you that it was your own fault. I expected something like this, and that is exactly why I wanted to keep you in the lab for observation."  
  
"Are you going to do anything about my...ah...powers?" He was starting to panic, what happened was simply shocking. If he was still at Genomex, he would be seriously considering allowing one of his employees to fit him with a sub dermal governor.  
  
"I'm afraid the only thing you can do is learn to control them. You will do in time."  
  
All Mason could do was nod his head. He was so very tired. The worry and stress was getting to him. He allowed his eyes to close and fell into a troubled sleep.  
  
Adam stood and watched him for a few moments, before leaving the room. He yawned. It was getting late and he wanted to get some rest himself.  
  
***  
  
Mason awoke hours later. He assumed it was either still night time, or early morning, as it was very quiet. Trying to go back to sleep was futile, he was no longer feeling tired and drained, and he had too much on his mind.  
  
Instead he decided to try out his new found abilities. He detested them and still despised Adam for giving them to him, but he found them strangely fascinating. He would see just what he could do.   
  
He searched his pockets for something to test his telekinesis on. An old key card. He hardly recognised the picture of himself on it. He much younger there, and he still had his own hair. And the Mason in the picture was smiling. It was beyond him why he hadn't had that changed.  
  
The only other thing he found was an old photograph wrapped in plastic. He knew what it was of, and he didn't want to look at it. He had enough things worrying him.   
  
He started looking around the room for something to practice on. Nothing looked appropriate, until a glass tube caught his eye. It was fairly large and contained a dark liquid.  
  
Staring intensely at it, and concentrating, he willed it to move. When nothing happened he began to feel silly. Just when he was about to give up, the tube wobbled a little. It overbalanced and fell over, the dark liquid spilling down onto the floor. It rolled off the shelf and fell with a smash. He couldn't help but smile slightly at his pathetic attempt. But Adam did say that he would have to practice.   
  
He got out of bed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to sleep now. As he began to wander around the place, he had the strange feeling that he had been there before, once again. But he can't have been. He would remember if he had.  
  
He felt as if he was being watched, but he couldn't be. It was night time, everyone would be asleep. He told himself not to be paranoid, and carried on. But his suspicions were confirmed when he heard a voice.  
  
"What are you doing?" It said accusingly. He spun around, shocked. Shalimar was standing a few feet away, hands on her hips. Suddenly an invisible force hit her and she fell over, hitting the floor.  
  
Mason walked towards her, feeling a mixture of apathy and worry. Adam would be angry if he'd hurt his precious feral. She lay sprawled out, not moving. He didn't know what to do, so he crouched down next to her to check for signs of life.  
  
Her eyes flew open and glowed a violent yellow. "Get any closer and I'll kill you." He stood up and backed away slightly. So she was still alive. Pity.  
  
She picked herself up off of the floor and brushed the dirt off her clothes. He could see the indignant look on her face even in the dark.   
  
"So that is your power, huh?" She said darkly. "I don't care what Adam says, use it on me again and you'll pay."   
  
"It was a mere accident, Miss Fox." He stated.  
  
"Sure it was. Now get out of my sight or I might not wait until next time."   
  
Mason stood still. He didn't take orders from anyone. They stared at each other, both waiting for the other to back down.   
  
"Is that supposed to be a threat?" He said eventually.  
  
"I'm warning you." She said, beginning to circle him.  
  
He laughed bitterly and folded his arms. It was the principle that mattered.  
  
Her eyes flashed yellow, and she stalked towards him. He narrowed his eyes and didn't move an inch. He wasn't going to let her scare him.  
  
Much to his surprise, she leapt at him, and they both fell over. Mason hit his head again, but that wasn't what was bothering him. When they had fallen over, Shalimar had ended up on top of him.  
  
"And what did you expect that to achieve, Miss Fox?" He asked patronisingly. She gave him a nasty look, then got up, embarrassed and disgusted. 


	6. Chapter Six

Sometimes I fear this story is turning into a comedy...  
  
*************************************************  
  
Emma was laughing uncontrollably. Shalimar was glad to see her in a better mood, but this was too much.  
  
"Aw, come on Em, it's not that funny." She said, regretting telling her what happened last night.  
  
"Shal, only you'd do something like that." Emma told her between giggles.  
  
"Seriously now, don't tell the guys. It was embarrassing enough."  
  
"Oh I don't know." She said, smiling mischievously.  
  
"Emma." She looked at her seriously.  
  
"'Course I won't."   
  
***  
  
Mason woke up late that morning. The events of last night had put him to sleep like no pill could. He smiled excruciatingly at the memory. But he told himself not to worry, Miss Fox would probably be as humiliated as he was.  
  
He sighed. Somehow it was worse not to be in any serious physical pain.   
  
For the first time in a long time, he worried about his children. He wondered where they were, and what kind of people they had turned out to be. He had tried everything to contact them, but had no luck. Everything save for calling Jacqueline. He swore never to talk to her again after she walked out on him.  
  
Memories from various points in his life plagued him. Miss DeLauro's visions, whether accidental or not, brought back a lot of things that he had all but forgotten. He had lived all his life with them, but they still bothered him.  
  
Now he had the added worry of his new mutancy. He had always despised those terrible abominations, and in the past he could not have even begun to comprehend becoming one himself. Perhaps the powers he had would come in useful, he thought in a desperate attempt to cheer himself up. But useful in what? He could never be officially re-instated at Genomex. And if he returned there of his own free will, he would have no income, no employees, no goal.  
  
He sat up and stared at the wall. Worrying was useless. He turned his attention to his appearance. His hair was probably even messier than it was when he checked it after he emerged from stasis. He was right. It was hopelessly tangled and knotted. He tried to carefully separate the largest knots, but succeeded in pulling more fibres out than doing any de-tangling.  
  
"Want me to get you a brush?" Mason looked up. Adam was leaning on the doorframe, almost laughing at his desperate attempts to straighten his hair.  
  
"Please." He answered, trying to keep the note of vulnerability out of his voice.  
  
Adam came back a few minutes later, and handed him a brush. He took it thankfully and began to work out the tangles. Realising he was covered in white fibres he stopped, not wanting to lose any more.   
  
He held the brush in his hand, and concentrated hard. It levitated and floated slowly in the air, but only for a second. Adam stepped forward and caught it before it hit the floor.  
  
"I see you're getting the hang of your powers." He remarked.  
  
"So it seems."  
  
"Well, as it is, I see no reason to keep you under observation in the lab any longer. Of course I can't stop you from leaving, but I would prefer if you stayed."  
  
"I will stay if you think it is for the best. As long as it isn't for the long term, Adam."  
  
"Of course not. Now, you can stay in one of the guest rooms." He turned around and indicated to him to follow. Mason stood up and did the best he could to brush the wig fibres from his clothes.  
  
As Adam led him to the room, he felt that strange familiarity again. No, he told himself, he'd never been there before.   
  
He stopped at the end of the corridor and opened a door. "I'm sure you'll find everything you need in here." Then he added. "Oh, and Mason, how long have you been wearing those clothes?"  
  
Mason looked down at himself, seeing nothing wrong. His attire was exemplary as usual, except for maybe a couple of hairs and pieces of lint stuck to his jacket. "It isn't important." He said at last.  
  
Adam shook his head. "Well, you'll need a change of clothes anyway. I'll ask the girls to take you shopping." He said offhandly. Mason began to make an objection, but he had already gone. Shopping with Miss Fox and Miss DeLauro, how utterly delectable. Just what was Adam thinking?  
  
He walked into the room, finding it quite large and spacious. It contained a wardrobe and several cupboards, and a door that more than likely led to a bathroom. Adam always had been the extravagant type, he found himself thinking. He sat down on the bed, finding it much more comfortable than the one in the lab. Forgetting about his worries, he allowed himself to relax for a while.  
  
***  
  
"Hey Adam." Shalimar yelled cheerfully as he walked up the steps of the dojo, where she was sitting with Emma. Adam smiled and sat down with them.  
  
"Are you okay now, Emma?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" She snapped back defensively.  
  
"Good." He said unfazed. "Now, I have a favor to ask of you two."  
  
"Sure, anything, go ahead." Shalimar said, she was waiting for a bit of excitement. He hadn't had a mission for them in ages, and she was feeling antsy being cooped up inside.   
  
Adam was quiet for a minute as he stopped to think of a way to word it so they couldn't refuse. In the end he gave up and just said. "I want you to take Mason shopping."  
  
"What?" Shalimar said, apalled. "I must be hearing things 'cause I thought you said..."  
  
"Shalimar," He cut her off, "I know it's a lot to ask of you, but I am really busy right now, and you know how Brennan and Jesse are with shopping."  
  
"Adam, please don't make us do this. I really don't feel up to it." Emma pleaded, putting on her best poor, downtrodden look.  
  
"Emma, I'm sorry, I know this will be hard for you. But please, just do this. For me."  
  
"Oh Adam..."  
  
"You're not making us do this. You know how Emma feels, and I just flat out refuse." Shalimar said, crossing her arms.  
  
"Please." He was running out of arguments. "If you just do this for me, I'll make it up to. Anything you want."  
  
Shalimar regarded him suspiciously, then her eyes lit up. "A new car?"   
  
"We'll see." Adam said.  
  
"Well, okay then." She was convinced. "I suppose it is a shopping trip after all."  
  
"Shal, you're so easily bought." Emma said.  
  
She grinned. "Nothing wrong with that. Come on, you never know, it might be fun." She said, heavily putting the emphasis on might.  
  
"Fine." She said. She wasn't going to win, so she thought she might as well give in, even though she'd rather do anything else.  
  
With that, Shalimar was off to her room to get ready, visions of cars she might like in her head.   
  
Emma looked at Adam, and he smiled warmly at her. "Thanks." He said.   
  
***  
  
Shalimar just threw on the first outfit that looked decent, and combed her hair. Emma, on the other hand decided to take as long as she possibly could, as if to try and postpone the inevitable.  
  
"Emma, are you ready yet?" Shalimar said, banging on her door. "We wanna get there before the crowds, especially considering."  
  
"Just a minute." She said, quickly putting some mascara on. Then she joined Shalimar, and they walked down the hall.   
  
Shalimar looked at Emma, then knocked on the door hesitantly. When there was no answer, she pushed it open.  
  
"Mason?" She said unsurely. She felt silly calling him by his first name, but she didn't know what else to call him.  
  
He was sitting on the edge of the bed looking pensive. "Ah, Miss Fox, Miss DeLauro. I assume you are here to take me...shopping."  
  
"Yeah. You ready to go?"   
  
"I shall just be a moment." He retreated into the bathroom, and for the first time in a long while, caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He tried to flatten his hair, but the brushing had made it rather fluffy at the ends. Giving up, he straightened his glasses and tightened his scarf. Then he left the room, to go on a trip that he knew none of them would enjoy.  
  
Shalimar grabbed his arm, and had to almost drag him out of the room. The three of them walked to the garage. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Mason stared out the window for most of the journey, looking boredly at the uninteresting city scenery. Some sickeningly cheery pop song was blaring on the radio, and Emma and Shalimar chatted animatedly, probably about the shops they would like to visit.  
  
At last they reached the town centre, and Shalimar drove the car into the multi-storey parking lot next to the shopping complex. Her heart sunk as she drove up another ramp to the third level. So much for beating the crowds.  
  
"Bit busy today." Emma commented as Shalimar finally found a parking spot on the fourth level.  
  
"Yeah." Was all Shalimar said in reply.  
  
They all got out of the car, before making their way down the steps.   
  
As they entered the shopping complex, it was instantly apparent that every man, woman and child in town had decided to go shopping at the same time as them.  
  
Shalimar gave an annoyed sigh. Adam would have to pick the busiest day, she thought. Mason hesitated. He was petrified, though he hid it well. All those people. Hundreds of them. They would come so close to touching him, with their filth and germs. He was still paranoid, he knew it was a good idea to never assume the best.  
  
Emma and Shalimar were a good way in front by now. Shalimar looked back, and when she saw him standing there, she crossed her arms and gave him a stern look. The girls looked at each other, marched over to him and grabbed his arms, then continued their way into the shopping complex, pulling him along with them. He struggled, but made no complaint, and allowed them to lead him around the place.  
  
He got some strange looks, and he was sure small children were pulling at their mothers' sleeves, whimpering, "Mommy, that man looks creepy." He smiled at the thought. Scaring people had inadvertently become one of his talents. Usually his visits to the outside world were seldom and to secluded areas. He wasn't used to that amount of people. What made him irritated though, was how those people were making him rather nervous.  
  
After a few minutes of walking, Shalimar pulled him over to the side.  
  
"So do you have any money?" She asked. Realisation hit him and he started to look panicked. "Good job Adam let me borrow his credit card then." She said, pulling the piece of plastic from her pocket and twisting it so it reflected the light. He didn't know who to be angry at. He didn't want the man's charity, who knows, he didn't need it. If it hadn't been for all the confusion, he would have returned to Genomex to get his own credit card. But in the circumstances, he had forgotten.  
  
"Where do you wanna go first?" Emma asked him.  
  
"I wouldn't know, Miss DeLauro. I have not been to a shopping centre in many years." It was senseless lying, he had nothing to prove.  
  
Shalimar smiled at Emma. "Come on, I know the perfect shop." She said. Mason found the smile worrying, but followed them anyway.  
  
He felt eyes on him once again. People were staring, some visibly shocked. The thing that surprised him the most though was when a teenage boy yelled, "Dude! I love your hair!" at him. He wasn't sure whether to take that as an insult, so he glared at the boy, who was sporting long red dreadlocks. The girls just laughed.  
  
It was only when they reached the shop that he truly realised what he was in for. All he knew that it certainly wasn't his kind of shop.  
  
"Miss Fox, this is a fashion shop." He said.  
  
"Exactly." She said, grinning.  
  
"I hope that you do not take this as a criticism, but I really do not believe that this type of shop is for me."  
  
She ignored his comment, and asked. "What size are you?"  
  
He had to think about that for a few minutes. "Medium, I believe. Though I cannot be sure, as I have not purchased clothes in a long time."  
  
She looked at him for a moment and then said. "Yeah, that's probably about right." The two of them wandered off, looking at the clothes as they passed.  
  
Mason was unsure of what to do, so he pretended to look at the clothes. What he saw horrified him, and he was disturbed that those kind of clothes were considered fashionable. He could never be talked into wearing anything he saw in that shop.  
  
A few minutes later, the girls came back, carrying at least a dozen hangers each, which they instantly dumped on him. Yes, they actually expect me to wear these hideous clothes, he thought. He looked through the pile quickly, deducing that there was nothing decent in the lot.  
  
"I am afraid that I cannot wear any of these." He said, hoping they would get the hint. "I do not think that they are exactly my style."  
  
"Oh, come on Mason." Shalimar said. "You need new clothes, and you can't be walking around in that suit for the next decade."  
  
I can and will, was his mental answer. But that sounded childish, so he said nothing.  
  
"Go try 'em on." Emma offered. "You never know, you might like some of it."  
  
"I am expected to try these clothes on? Now?" He said incredulously. He felt disgusted even touching clothes that other people had touched, trying them on was out of the question.  
  
"Sure. How else would you know if they fit?" Emma told him.  
  
Giving up, he followed them to the changing rooms, almost tripping over the mounds of clothes that he was carrying.  
  
The attendant looked surprised as she saw him with so many items. Her training hadn't told her what to do in the event of a customer wanting to try on an unreasonable number of clothes. She looked at the discs numbered 1 to 5 hopelessly, and wondered what to do.  
  
"Err...just go ahead." She said at last. He didn't look like the type she'd like to argue with.  
  
Once in the changing room, he looked at the clothes more closely. Nothing that he would even consider wearing. He entertained the thought of sitting there for a few minutes, then saying that none of them fit him. But then he would be dragged to more hideous shops, and forced to look at more hideous clothing. He couldn't win.  
  
Begrudgingly, he decided to try on some of the clothes. He picked out a red shirt with a rather loud pattern, and a pair of the more acceptable looking jeans. He remembered wearing jeans quite regularly, but that was now well in the past.  
  
He almost laughed at how he looked when he saw himself in the mirror. No, definitely not his style.  
  
Pulling back the curtain, he found that the girls were sitting outside waiting.  
  
Shalimar jumped up and said. "Oh yeah! You're looking pretty cool." She was smiling widely.   
  
"Regardless of what you think, Miss Fox, I am not wearing any of these clothes."  
  
"Aw, he's no fun." She said, looking back at Emma, who just shrugged.  
  
He dressed back in his own clothes, dropped the pile of clothes on the unsuspecting changing room attendant, and strode out of the shop.  
  
When he was outside, he turned round to look at the girls, who were looking rather fed up. "Take me to a place with more conservative clothing." He ordered.  
  
"Fine." Shalimar said shortly, as she started off in the other direction.   
  
He found the second shop much more to his liking, he was sure to find something there.   
  
Sure enough, he actually bought some things there. The girls were even able to convince him to buy clothes in such extravagant colours as navy blue and dark grey.  
  
As they left the shop, Emma cried. "Oh look, there's a sale at Selfridges! And I saw the most gorgeous top in there last week!"  
  
"Wow!" Shalimar said. "Lets go and have a look." They rushed off, crossing the sea of people.  
  
Mason let out a sigh, and followed them. This was going to be a long day. 


	8. Chapter Eight

After what seemed like well over an hour, Mason was starting to get impatient. Though he really couldn't be sure of the time, having given up wearing a watch many years ago.  
  
He found that he had begun to lean on the shop window. He quickly stood up. This was an upmarket shop, but it didn't change the fact that it would be innately filthy.   
  
Picking up the shopping bags, he shifted uncomfortably. He felt even more awkward standing still and on his own. Hoards of shoppers walked by, some hurriedly, some dithering. He took to watching people in his boredom. A single mother struggled to push a double pram, carry half a dozen bags and keep an eye on her older child. A young couple holding hands pointed at things in shop windows as they casually strolled by. A businessman carrying a bulging suitcase hurried past. A group of young girls dressed in the latest fashions talked animatedly as they walked. A teenage girl yelled at her mother, probably for not buying her the latest CD by her favourite pop band.  
  
In the distance, he could see a group of people of indeterminate gender dressed in black approaching. He remembered that fad from his high school years. Some things never change, he found himself thinking. As they passed, one of them stared at him the whole time. He adjusted his glasses and stared back, but found it impossible to look intimidating while holding shopping bags.   
  
***  
  
About ten minutes later, the girls came out of the shop, carrying a single bag each and chatting about their purchases. Mason gave them an annoyed look, but said nothing.  
  
"'kay, do you need to go anywhere else?" Shalimar asked him.  
  
"Yes." He said. "I will need to purchase a new wig."  
  
"Err...any idea where?"   
  
"As I said before, Miss Fox, I have not been to a shopping centre in years."  
  
"Emma?"   
  
She shrugged, then looked around. A little shop caught her eye, and the sign declared 'Michael's Wig Emporium " in loopy, almost unreadable writing. "How about that place?" She offered.  
  
"It looks to be acceptable." He said, setting off towards the shop. There was only one way to find out.  
  
He pushed open the door and a bell chimed. Instantly, he noticed that the place was rather dusty and smelt of mothballs. Disregarding his first impressions, he made his way slowly to the counter.   
  
The shopkeeper was standing behind it, brushing a long black wig.  
  
"Good afternoon sir, ladies." He said in a posh British accent. "Welcome to Michael's Wig Emporium. I am Michael. Now, what can I do for you?"  
  
"I require a wig, much like the one I am currently wearing. Would you be able to provide me with such a thing?"  
  
"Of course, sir. Now would you mind if I took a quick look?"  
  
"I would much prefer it if you did not." He said as he looked at the shopkeeper harshly.  
  
"Okay." He said quickly, and took out a notebook. "Now, what length do you require?"  
  
"Fourteen inches at the back, stepped to seven in the front. I want the bangs long and fairly thick, and I wish it to be slightly feathered at the ends." He said, as the shopkeeper scribbled hurried notes. "I want it to be pure white. Not platinum blond, not silver, not ninety percent grey. I would prefer it to be made from kanekalon fibre if possible."   
  
A great deal of online shopping had taught him that it was best to be absolutely specific in what he wanted. He would receive a whole manner of strange deviations on what he ordered. What confused him the most was how some people must have rather funny ideas about what colour white is.  
  
"Certainly. Now I don't think we have just what you want in stock, but if you leave your details, I shall have it delivered to you by next week." He tore a page out of his notebook and handed it to him along with a pen. He picked the black wig up again and continued to brush it.  
  
Mason picked up the pen and wrote his name. Then he stopped, realising he had no address to write. He couldn't very well write Genomex's address down, and he was pretty sure that Sanctuary would not have a mailbox.  
  
Emma passed him a piece of paper. "Here," She said, "this is the address of the safe house in town. We have all our parcels delivered there." He copied the address, and slid the piece of notebook paper back towards the shopkeeper.  
  
"Thank you. Now, that will be seventy five dollars please."  
  
His mind went again to money, namely the lack of it. But he didn't have much time to worry, as Shalimar had already put Adam's credit card on the counter.  
  
"It's my father's." She said, smiling sweetly. She had told the same lie in the clothes shop. The shopkeeper nodded and smiled back. They always believed her, and if they didn't, Emma would be able to convince them to reconsider.  
  
"Thank you, and please come again." The shopkeeper said, going back to his former duty of brushing the wig. It seemed that business was not doing very well for him.  
  
"I don't know about you guys, but I sure am hungry." Shalimar said as they left the shop.  
  
"Yeah, I'm getting hungry too." Emma said. "We can stop by at the food court, but then I think we'd better get back to Sanctuary. It's getting a bit late and Adam will be wondering where we are."  
  
At the food court, Shalimar grabbed a bacon roll, and Emma finally decided to have a salad. Mason looked longingly at the food, wondering if he should risk it. Adam had not expressly told him not to eat, but he hadn't exactly been offering him meals. In the end he decided against it. After all, he didn't even know if he could eat. He hadn't been able to for many years.  
  
"So, have you enjoyed your shopping trip?" Shalimar asked as they walked back to the car.  
  
"It was simply divine." Was his answer, and he was being more than a bit sarcastic. Though he had to admit to himself that he had had far worse days.  
  
***  
  
On the journey back, Mason began to feel uncomfortable. It felt so hot in the car.  
  
"Will you turn the heater down please." He said eventually.  
  
"It's not on." Emma told him.  
  
He shifted uneasily, and told himself that he would have to get used to normal temperatures again.  
  
***  
  
When they got back to Sanctuary, he went straight to what had apparently become his room. He dropped the bags on the floor and lay down on the bed. The shopping trip had really sapped the energy out of him.  
  
***  
  
"Have fun on your shopping trip?" Jesse asked as he spotted the girls.  
  
But before either of them could answer, Brennan remarked. "I still can't believe Adam made you take Eckhart shopping. I thought he was having us on when I asked him where you guys where."  
  
"Well, he was strangely polite and not at all unpleasant. I don't know, maybe he's changed." Emma said.  
  
"I wouldn't bet on it." Said Shalimar. "I'm still keeping an eye on him." 


	9. Chapter Nine

Sorry for the delay. I won't give up on this story, but I don't think I'll be able to get a chapter done every week.  
  
*************************************************************************************************  
  
Mason woke up suddenly and sat up, having just awoken from a deep sleep. Ever since he had arrived at this place he had felt tired, and spontaneously fell asleep against his will. He blinked a few times, and looked around the room, trying to remember what happened before he fell asleep.  
  
Seeing the shopping bags strewn about the floor, the memories came back to him. He picked them up and walked over to the wardrobe. Carefully, he removed the clothes from the bags and hung them up and organised them. Even though he had bought a great deal of clothes, the wardrobe still looked empty. As does the rest of the room, he thought, closing the doors of the wardrobe.  
  
All his possessions were back at Genomex. He would have to go back there and assess the damage when he regained his strength. He wondered how far Ashlocke and his people had gone in ransacking the place. He had not noticed before because he had had other things on his mind. But he didn't worry. He owned many expensive things, but nothing of any value.  
  
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he wondered what he would do when he left Sanctuary, he wasn't planning on staying long, and was under no delusion that anyone wanted him to stay. Perhaps he could go back to living a normal life. No. He simply couldn't. Adam had made sure of that. He was now a new mutant. He was now what he had worked his whole life to eradicate. A normal life was out of the question. He would not be able to work for the government again. If he knew his superiors, no matter what fantastical tale he managed to manufacture, they would regard his work as a failure.  
  
He thought fleetingly of his family. His father, if he was still alive, would be in a nursing home, probably still ordering people around and complaining. His children were the only other family he had left. Even if he did manage to contact them, he doubted that they would want to see him. After all, what kind of father had he been to them? When he saw them last, Grey was barely four, and Deirdre and Michelle had not even celebrated their third birthday. Jacqueline had most likely re-married, and his children knew someone else as their father. They wouldn't want to see him after all these years.  
  
He took the photograph out of his pocket and smoothed out the wrinkles in its plastic wrapping. Items such as this which would not survive the disinfecting and sterilising processes were coated in plastic in order to seal in the germs that they harboured.   
  
The photograph was taken approximately five months before Jacqueline left him. They all looked so happy there. He looked like the typical enviable American, with his beautiful wife and three perfect children. All that was missing was the dog and the white picket fence. Jacqueline was smiling in her natural photogenic way, her dark hair styled perfectly. Their children stood in front, wearing unusually spotless clothes and big smiles. All in all, they looked like the perfect, happy family. The type that only exists on television.  
  
After a long stare at the picture, he slipped it back into his pocket. Thinking of the past depressed him. It made him realise that the best was over, the past was all that he had to hold on to. He sat staring at the wall, for a long time, deep in thought.  
  
The sound of footsteps eventually caused him to stir. He had no idea how long he had been sitting there. It could have been a few minutes, it could have been several hours. His long stay in the stasis pod had caused him to lose all concept of time.   
  
The door creaked as it opened slowly.   
  
"Get what you needed then?" It was Adam.  
  
Mason looked up. "Ah...Adam. Yes, I did manage to purchase a few items."  
  
"The girls tell me you were no trouble at all. Somehow I find that surprising." He said, smiling.  
  
Mason simply glared at him. He wasn't in the mood for his joking. He never had been.  
  
"Anyway, I came here to see if you'd come down to the lab with me. I'd like to run some tests to see how the treatment's working. Nothing to worry about."  
  
"Of course not." He said dismissively. He got up, and followed Adam out of the room.  
  
***  
  
Adam breathed a sigh of relief as the tests revealed the expected results. Mason would never forgive him if the treatment he gave him did not work. It'd be another grudge for him to forever hold against him.  
  
He turned to face Mason and smiled. "I'm sure you'll be glad to know that the treatment worked. You'll be fine."  
  
Mason allowed himself to smile a little. "That is good to know." He said simply.  
  
"As I said before, you'll never be completely cured. I did the best I can, but I'm not a miracle worker. However, you will be able to live a more normal life. The precautions you took will no longer be necessary. Just as long as you aren't exposed to an extremely bacteria infested environment or a particularly potent virus, you will have nothing to worry about." He was impressed with his work, everything worked just as he expected it to. Formerly, he had never put much thought into curing his condition, Mason had made it perfectly clear which side he was on.  
  
Mason left the room without a word. Part of him wanted to thank Adam for what he had done for him, but he quickly reminded himself that it was he who caused him this trouble in the first place. He made his way back to his room to begin the unpleasant task of removing the rest of his synthetic skin.  
  
***  
  
The Mutant X team was sitting in the dojo, bored out of their minds. Shalimar yawned and stretched. She looked at her team-mates. Brennan was shooting sparks at the wall, narrowly missing Jesse who was idly flipping through an old computer manual. Emma was staring blankly into space.  
  
"I know what we should do." said Shalimar brightly. "We should all have a night out, y'know, all together."  
  
"I'm up for that." Jesse said, putting down the manual.  
  
"Yeah." Emma smiled. "We haven't been out together in a while."  
  
"Well, it'll sure beat hanging around here." said Brennan.  
  
"Great. Let's go get ready." Shalimar and Emma got up and walked to their rooms, chatting about what outfits they might wear.  
  
Brennan looked at his watch, and then at Jesse. "Well, I guess that means we've got a couple of hours to kill." He said, smirking.  
  
***  
  
Voices down the corridor woke Mason from his thoughts. Female voices. Must be Miss DeLauro and Miss Fox, he told himself. He sincerely hoped that they were not coming to see him. He didn't feel like having company. His clothes itched and felt uncomfortable next to his skin. The sound of two doors slamming dispelled that thought.   
  
He got up and began to walk around the room. The feeling of material dragging against his skin disturbed him. It was strange and unfamiliar to him.   
  
To take his mind off it, he turned his attention to the room. It was painted a generic cream colour and was fitted with only the most essential furniture; overall it was generally nondescript. The walls were bare, and there were no windows of course. It was only yesterday he had realised that Sanctuary was built deep inside a huge mass of rock. That probably counted towards why he never did find the place. Right underneath lack of sense in his employees.  
  
***  
  
"I just knew that top'd look perfect on you." Shalimar said as she and Emma walked back down the corridor to the main room.   
  
"Hey, I look nothing compared to you, I mean look at you."   
  
"Don't be silly." She said with unusual modesty, but then added. "Let's just agree that we both look great."  
  
"'kay." Emma said, smiling. "I'm really looking forward to this night out."  
  
"Me too. It's gonna be great." She smiled. "I think we'd better go tell Adam we're going out. Then we'll go find the boys."  
  
***  
  
They found Adam in the lab, working.   
  
"Hey Adam." said Emma. "We're going out soon, so we thought we'd better come and let you know."  
  
"Wanna come with?" Shalimar added, although she already knew the answer.   
  
"I would," he began, looking up from his work, "but I'm really busy at the moment. You guys go ahead and have fun, alright." What he said was not entirely truthful, but going out to clubs was the last thing he wanted after the stress of the last few days.  
  
"We will." Shalimar grinned.   
  
On their way out, they met Jesse and Brennan.  
  
"There you are. And you guys complain about us taking ages to get ready." Shalimar said, teasing.  
  
"Alright, alright." Brennan threw up his arms.  
  
"Guess it's time to get going." Jesse said as they walked towards the garage.   
  
***  
  
The evening was rather uneventful for Mason, until he was once again disturbed by Adam.  
  
"Adam." He said, looking up at him.  
  
"Here. I've brought this for you." He said, passing him the bowl of soup he was holding. "I thought you must be hungry, and this will be easy for you to eat."  
  
He looked at it with some interest. Soup, he thought, tomato if I am not mistaken.  
  
"It's just soup, Mason."  
  
Hesitantly, he took a spoonful. Then another. It wasn't unpleasant, and he was awfully hungry.  
  
"So how are you coping with your abilities? Still okay?" Adam inquired.  
  
"Actually, I have been trying not to use them." He said, looking up from his soup.  
  
Adam nodded. "Very well. But you will need to learn to control them one day. If you can't control your new mutant abilities, they will control you."  
  
"Thankyou for that piece of advice. I will be sure to adhere to it." Mason said insincerely.  
  
"Anyway, now that you're feeling better, how would you like to go out for a drink? What do you say?"  
  
He took a few moments to think. Everything told him he shouldn't. And he could think of a thousand reasons why, but that would mean bringing up the same old arguments again. "I see no harm in that." He said eventually. 


	10. Chapter Ten

The bar was almost empty. In the corner, a jukebox played a vaguely familiar song from yesteryear. The bartender polished a glass as he talked to a balding man sitting at the bar.   
  
A man with darting eyes, dressed in rumpled suit sat in one of the booths. He loosened his tie and looked around suspiciously, before quickly taking a drink from the whisky bottle which he was holding on to tightly.  
  
Those two, and the middle-aged couple smoking and drinking simultaneously on the far side of the room made up the sum total of patrons. The place was always almost completely deserted, and that was precisely why Adam had chosen it.  
  
"I see your ability to choose a venue for a riveting night out has not left you, Adam." Mason said.  
  
Adam just smiled. "Just like old times, eh?" He said as they sat down at a table.  
  
"Indeed it is." Mason said, thinking back to times passed. He simply couldn't believe that he was there. Surely they couldn't just go back to how they were back then. No, that was impossible. Even if Adam was willing to overlook the hard feelings between them, Mason would never be able to forgive him.  
  
"Okay, what can I get you fellas?" The bartender asked, setting down the glass he'd been polishing.  
  
"I shall have a dry martini. No ice." Mason said. The bartender nodded, then looked at Adam.  
  
He thought for a while, then ordered a rum and coke.  
  
"Coming right up."  
  
"So, how has life been since I saw you last?" Mason asked after a few moments of silence.  
  
"Well, it hasn't half been busy, but I can't complain. Though I expect this will change now. Now that Ashlocke's gone, and you won't be re-establishing the GSA..." It was more of a statement, but he looked at Mason questioningly nonetheless.  
  
"No. I have neither the funds nor the desire to do that."  
  
"It'd also make you a bit of a hypocrite." He said, leaning forward.  
  
"How so?"  
  
"It'd be hypocritical to continue rounding up and imprisoning new mutants now that you are one yourself. And I'm sure your stay in stasis made you rethink the morality of what you did to them."  
  
"Not a pleasant experience at all. And Adam, I was not rounding up and imprisoning them. That is an out and out lie. I was working to prevent the world knowing about your careless mistakes."  
  
Before Adam could say anything, the bartender arrived with their drinks. They both mumbled thank you. The bartender just shrugged and walked away.  
  
***  
  
Emma stumbled a little. She held her head in her hands as bright flashes and confused emotions filled her mind.  
  
"I'm gonna sit down for a while." She told Shalimar, walking to the nearest table. Shalimar followed, a little concerned.  
  
"You okay?" She asked, plopping down beside her.  
  
"I...yeah, I'll be fine in a minute." She held her head in her hands and rubbed at her eyes.  
  
"Hey, what's up?" Jesse said as he sat down across from the girls. "What's wrong with her?" He asked. Emma now had her head down on the table.  
  
"I don't know. She said she'd be alright, but if she carries on like this I'm taking her home."  
  
"You don't need to be so protective, she's probably just had a bit too much to drink." He shook the half filled glass in his hand.  
  
"Yeah, that'll be it. Anyway, where's Brennan? I haven't seen him all night."  
  
"Chatting up some blonde at the bar." He pointed his thumb over his shoulder.  
  
"Hah. Why doesn't that surprise me." She said, folding her arms.  
  
Emma lifted up her head. They both looked at her. Shalimar opened her mouth and began to ask if she was feeling better.   
  
Her eyes flew open. "He's back!" She shrieked. A note of mortal terror was in her voice, and her eyes were vacant yet bore a look of utmost fear. Her eyes fell closed once again and she fell limply onto the table.  
  
"Emma!" Shalimar yelled, her eyes growing wide. She looked at Jesse. He was frozen, and looking at Emma in disbelief. "Emma, please wake up. Please. Please, wake up." Her voice became more and more distraught.   
  
***  
  
It is widely known that a few drinks will make everyone a little more agreeable, and this situation was no exception. Adam and Mason began to talk like old friends should; reliving the good times, and forgetting the bad. That is, of course, until Adam brought up the subject of Mason's childhood.  
  
"Adam." He said deliberately. "I think I made it perfectly clear that I do not want to talk about that."  
  
"I just thought you might want to talk about it, that's all. If you want to, I'm always here for you."  
  
"Thank you." He said with some difficulty, beginning to study the cigarette butts in the ashtray to avoid showing any awkwardness. The ashtray wobbled a bit, then lifted up into the air, aparently of its own accord. This took him by surprise. He grabbed it and set it back down on the table.  
  
"You've gotta learn to be more careful." Adam said in a hushed voice.  
  
Mason hardly noticed; the man with darting eyes was staring at him, a mixture of fear and confusion in his eyes. When he made eye contact with the man, he looked away, and put down the bottle of whisky. He got up and shuffled quickly towards the door.  
  
***  
  
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Jesse asked.  
  
"I don't know." Shalimar sobbed. She was still frantically shaking her. "Please wake up." Her voice was almost a whisper.  
  
"I think we'd better call Adam."  
  
"Yeah, good idea. He'd better be able to help." She said hurriedly. She grabbed Emma's wrist to search for a pulse.   
  
"Adam." Jesse said into his comlink ring. He waited a few seconds. There was no answer. Another few seconds. Still no answer.  
  
"Why isn't he answering?" She'd found a pulse, but not a strong one. Either way, she was still worried. Emma still wasn't responding.  
  
"I don't know." A visible note of worry was in his voice.  
  
"Go and get Brennan. Tell him what happened and tell him I'm taking Emma back home." She stood up and lifted Emma's limp form into her arms and started towards the exit.  
  
***  
  
"Adam!" Shalimar yelled, almost running on her way into Sanctuary. "Adam!" She went straight to the lab. It was empty. The whole place was, she discovered. "Oh, Adam, you do pick your times to disappear." She mumbled despondently.  
  
She walked to Emma's room. Laying her on her bed, she frantically wondered what to do. It wasn't like Adam to go anywhere without telling them. She stalked out of the room. She'd just have another check.   
  
A circuit around Sanctuary told her what she already knew; it was empty. But she did find Adam's comlink ring on his desk. Where could he have gone? She thought desperately. A mixture of fear and guilt forced her to sprint back to Emma.  
  
As she entered the room, Emma's eyelids began to flutter.  
  
"Hey, sorry 'bout that guys, I guess must have fallen asleep." She said, not fully awake. She opened her eyes properly and looked around. "Hey, where am I?"  
  
"Emma!" She said, throwing her arms around her. "You're okay."  
  
"What do you mean? Why am I here?" She said, confused and groggy.  
  
"You don't remember what happened?"   
  
Emma could sense alarm in her voice. She couldn't honestly remember. "Why, what did happen? What's wrong?"  
  
Shalimar hurriedly told her what happened. "No, I don't remember any of that." Emma said, shaking her head. "I don't remember. What do you think it means? You don't think..."  
  
"No. No, he's dead." Shalimar said bluntly. She couldn't possibly let herself think that, although that was exactly what was running through her head at the time.  
  
"Shal, I'm scared. Even if it's not...it's still not good." She looked at her intensely for a moment. "Where's Adam?"  
  
"I don't know. He's not here. His comlink ring is, but he's not." She shook her head.  
  
"Not here? That's not like Adam. And he said he was busy. Why would he leave his comlink ring here?" She was glad to take her mind off what apparently had happened to her.  
  
"I have no idea. I guess we can only wait until he gets back. I hope he hurries up though. Jesse and Brennan are on their way back as far as I know."  
  
"How long was I out?" She asked.  
  
"Half an hour, max. I brought you here as soon as I could. We only got back about five minutes ago."   
  
Shalimar looked up. A sound, footsteps.  
  
"I wonder where everyone is." Brennan commented as he and Jesse walked into the main room.  
  
"Adam? Shalimar?" Jesse called.  
  
"In here." She answered.  
  
"Emma, you're awake. Thank God for that." Said Jesse. "We got here as fast as we could."  
  
"Jesse told me what happened. How're ya feeling?" Brennan asked as he walked round to the other side of Emma's bed and sat down.  
  
"Fine, really. But I don't remember a thing."  
  
"Hey, where's Adam? I'm sure he'd know what was up." He asked.  
  
"We don't know. I found his comlink ring on his desk." Shalimar told him.  
  
"I thought you said he had work to do."   
  
"Yeah, that's what he said. I don't know where he is, but I bet he wasn't counting on us coming back early and finding him gone."  
  
"It's a good job Emma's okay, else he'd be sorry for disappearing and not leaving any way for us to contact him."  
  
"I sure hope he gets back soon, 'cause if anything else happens to her, I just don't know what to do." Shalimar shook her head. 


	11. Chapter Eleven

Yes, I'm back after my long absence. Sorry for making you all wait so long. I've been busy working on a few original projects (of which, I must admit, I have finished a total of one). This chapter is quite short, but I'm working on chapter 12 and I hope to get it finished and posted by the end of the week.

* * *

It was after midnight when Mason and Adam got back to Sanctuary.  
  
"I think I shall have to go and lie down."  
  
"All right." Adam said, patting him on the shoulder as he walked off.  
  
He sat down on the steps to the dojo, feeling dizzy and sick. He'd had far to much to drink. Yeah, it was like old times, he thought. Just like old times. 

# # #  
  
Shalimar awoke suddenly. Voices, and footsteps. She lay still for a second, being careful to breath silently. Hearing nothing else, she almost went back to sleep. Maybe it was just her imagination, or perhaps someone couldn't sleep and was watching television. But she'd have to check, just to be sure.  
  
She got out of bed and tiptoed into the main room.  
  
"Adam!" She said, somewhat surprised. "Where have you been?" He looked up at her, his eyes glazed. But he didn't need to answer, the smell of booze and cigarettes gave him away. "You've been out drinking!"  
  
"How did you guess?"  
  
"Adam, Emma was in trouble last night. We needed your help."  
  
"Why? What's wrong?"  
  
Shalimar explained to him what happened. The details simply went over his head.  
  
"Is she okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I think so. But I'm still worried. Adam, why did you take off your comlink? We needed to contact you."  
  
"I did?" He said, lifting his hand up to the light. "I don't remember."

# # #

"So do you know what's up?" Emma asked. She was lying on the chair in the middle of the lab.  
  
"Well, according to these tests, absolutely nothing." Said Adam, shaking his head.  
  
"But from what Shalimar told me, it can't just be nothing."  
  
"I must admit, it is worrying. But there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with you." He leaned on the back of the chair, trying to appear sympathetic, but in reality he had a killer hangover and was finding it difficult to stand upright.  
  
"You don't think...you don't think it could be Ashlocke, do you?" She asked, twisting a piece of hair round her finger.  
  
"I think that's highly improbable, don't you think?" He said, smiling slightly.  
  
"Yeah, but not impossible." She got up out of the chair.  
  
"Emma, don't let it bother you. It could just be that your recently mutated powers reacted adversely with the alcohol you were drinking. It might be no more than that."  
  
"I sure hope so." She said on her way out of the room.  
  
Adam walked to his office and sat down at his desk. It was now lit by a lamp, since Mason had destroyed the lights with his new powers. He reminded himself to ask Brennan to fix them some time. He'd complain, but he'd do it.  
  
He held his head in his hands and tried to think straight. The aspirin he'd taken earlier wasn't working. He could hardly remember last night at all. All he could remember was getting to the bar, then just bits and pieces of conversation, then he was back here and Shalimar was yelling at him. He was worried about Emma. He felt awfully responsible for what happened to her, though he couldn't possibly have done anything.

# # #

"How's Emma?" Jesse asked.  
  
"She seems fine." said Shalimar, looking concerned. "But I don't know. I'm really worried about her." She began to pace up and down the room.  
  
"You think it's Ashlocke, don't you?" said Brennan.  
  
"But it can't be, Shal," added Jesse, "he's dead, you know that."  
  
"Yeah, I know. But a guy like Ashlocke, I really wonder, can death really stop him? Me, I could cope with him in my head. It was awful, but I could. But Emma, oh, I don't know if she can."  
  
The boys looked at each other uneasily.

# # #

"Adam?"  
  
He lifted his head up slowly to see Mason standing over him. "Uh...what?" He managed.  
  
"Alcohol never did agree with you, did it?"  
  
"Didn't agree with you either, if I remember rightly."  
  
"Ah, yes. But I never let it affect me, unlike you."  
  
Adam made no comment. He buried his head in his hands, wishing that Mason would take the hint and leave.  
  
"Mason, are you here for any particular reason? Only I have some things to do, so..."  
  
Funny, thought Mason, it seemed that you had time to fall asleep before I came in. But he said: "Is there something the matter?"  
  
Adam sighed, and nodded his head. "It's Emma." He said. "While we were out, she had some sort of disturbing vision. I know it seems absurd, but it appears that it is Ashlocke bothering her."  
  
"You informed me that he was dead. Was that merely an assumption?"  
  
"No. I saw him die. Yes, he's definitely dead."  
  
Mason narrowed his eyes. "You aren't making a lot of sense, Adam. How could it be Ashlocke if he is dead?"  
  
"That's exactly the conundrum that I'm faced with."  
  
"Is there any chance that Miss DeLauro might be lying?"  
  
"No, of course not. She's no reason to. And besides, she wasn't the one who told me, she doesn't even remember it."  
  
"What exactly was it that happened?"  
  
"Shalimar tells me that Emma was looking a little off-colour, so they went to sit down, and suddenly...uh..." He stopped and rubbed his eyes. "...and suddenly she just screamed 'He's back!' then blacked out. I just don't know."  
  
"'He' could refer to anyone. It makes no sense to jump to the conclusion of it being a dead man."  
  
"Yeah, but Shalimar's worried sick. I'm sure she thinks it's Ashlocke. With what he did to her, I'm not surprised she's scared. And Emma, she's hiding her feelings, but inside, she's terrified. I just don't know what to do. "  
  
"Perhaps you're taking your father figure role a little too far, Adam. Maybe your children would do well to cope with this one on their own."  
  
"Yes," he said, "maybe I am." He didn't feel like arguing. "How much did we drink last night, anyway?"  
  
Mason smiled. "I don't really care to remember." 


	12. Chapter Twelve

Brennan was sitting in the main room, eating froot loops out of the box and watching the news on the holo-screen.  
  
"Hey, they're knocking down Genomex." He said as Mason walked in.  
  
"What?"  
  
"...representatives have been unavailable for comment. No explanations have been given for the destruction of the facility. Demolition is due to begin this afternoon." The reporter straightened his papers. "Now we'll join our outside broadcast unit at the scene."  
  
"Adam!" Mason called.  
  
"Yeah?" he said, walking into the room.  
  
"Look." He pointed at the screen. A woman was standing in front of the main building, giving random, but non-incriminating information about the complex. "They are planning to destroy Genomex. This is a travesty." He shook his head. "Why was I not informed?"  
  
"Well, I'll admit it is a shame. But I really can't bring myself to care."  
  
"Does it not bother you that decades of research will be destroyed?"  
  
"Well, yes. But maybe it is for the best."  
  
"What on earth do you mean?"  
  
"We have both spent ten years of our lives trying to fix what happened at Genomex. Perhaps it would be better if the world never knows of the technology we used there."  
  
"But surely you cannot be happy for that to happen. You do claim to be a scientist, after all."  
  
"Will you two knock it off? Bickering like a couple of kids." Brennan shook his head.  
  
They both turned to look at him, shocked and a little ashamed.  
  
"Perhaps it would be a good a idea to take a look." said Adam. "Brennan, go and gather the others."  
  
"All right, just let me finish my breakfast."

# # #

Emma was sitting at the top of the steps of the dojo.  
  
"How're you feeling today?" Shalimar asked, sitting down next to her.  
  
"Oh." Emma broke out of her trance and looked around. "F-fine. I'm okay. Really."  
  
"If there's anything worrying you, talk to me, all right?  
  
"Adam says there's nothing wrong with me, so quit worrying so much."  
  
"How can I not worry? It's pretty serious if someone is messing with your mind."  
  
"But I don't really feel like I've got someone in my head. I'd know if I had. I don't even remember what you said happened."  
  
"Aw, c'mere." Shalimar hugged her. "It should be you that's worrying and me telling you it's gonna be fine."  
  
"Hey, yeah you should!" Emma laughed.  
  
"Oh yeah, Adam said there's something going on at Genomex, so we're going to go check it out. You feel up to it? 'Cause if not, I'll stay here with you."  
  
"Shalimar!"  
  
"Okay, okay."

# # #

Some time later, the double helix landed on the roof of Genomex.  
  
A van and several machines could be seen parked on the main parking lot. Three men in yellow jackets milled around absently.  
  
Mason and Emma walked up to them.  
  
"Can I 'elp you?" One of the men asked. He was leaning on the bonnet of the van and smoking a cigarette.  
  
"May I ask what you are doing here?" Mason asked.  
  
"This place is comin' down, they don't use it any more 'pparently."  
  
"I think you have been misinformed."  
  
The man looked thoughtful for a moment, and blew a smoke ring. Mason glared at him.  
  
"Nope, it says right here." He waved vaguely at some non-existent papers. "They want the place flattened by the end of the week. Gonna build a shopping complex or sumthin'."  
  
A shopping complex? "Who are 'they'?"  
  
"The local county council. They gave us the job, don't know any more than that."  
  
"This is a definite mistake. I'm afraid I can't let you do this."  
  
"Whoa, we've gotta do our job." He took a drag on his cigarette.  
  
"I want to speak to the supervising officer."  
  
"That'd be me. And I've gotta tell ya, we can't have the general public interfering with the works."  
  
"Do you have any idea who I am?"  
  
"Nope, not a clue."  
  
Mason gave Emma a look. She unfocused her eyes and concentrated on a single thought.  
  
"Wait a minute." said the man. "Oh, Jesus, I don't think we've got the right place." He turned round. "All right men, back to the depot."

# # #

The aboveground part of the complex looked the same as ever. The entrance area was exactly the same as it always was, except more dimly lit and completely devoid of people.  
  
Shalimar stopped. She kept perfectly still, listening for the sound again. There it was. A faint rustle. Her eyes glowed yellow.  
  
"What's up Shal?" Jesse asked, turning round.  
  
"I heard something. There's someone here." she said.  
  
Emma closed her eyes. "Yeah, I can feel them, too."  
  
"I'm gonna check it out." Shalimar whispered.  
  
"I will accompany you." Mason said.  
  
"I can handle this. Don't worry I'm not gonna let 'em get away."  
  
He gave her a disapproving look; but she was off, prowling silently down the corridor, listening intently for signs of her prey.

# # #

Chris thumbed through yet another filing cabinet full of disappointing legal vehicle defect reports. The flashlight clamped between her teeth showed her page after page of exactly what went wrong with every vehicle in the year of 1992.  
  
The computers were useless, since there was no power, and she didn't feel like lugging a dozen hard drives round with her.  
  
"Having fun?" A voice whispered in her ear.  
  
She fell forward, dropping the flashlight in the drawer and slamming her forehead into the top of the filing cabinet. She fumbled around in the drawer, and when she found it, pointed it at the figure behind her.  
  
It was a woman with wild blonde hair, standing with her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face.  
  
Chris's heart thumped. She bit her lip. She thought the place was empty, since it was going to be knocked down.  
  
She'd do anything to get back to looking through useless files, or even to be back at her boring job at O'Leary's.  
  
"Not really." She replied eventually.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Shalimar asked.  
  
"Er...err...nothing." Yeah great, she thought, I'm just here doing nothing. Great cover. If Proxy was still around, she'd be ashamed.  
  
"Nothing, huh? Funny place to be doing nothing." For a moment, Chris thought the woman's eyes glowed.  
  
"...yeah...you know I haven't seen anything classified -- you don't need to kill me." She couldn't help but think this was a laughably poor choice of last words.  
  
But Shalimar just laughed. "We're not gonna kill you." Chris breathed a sigh of relief. "Come on, lets go. Don't ya know this place is gonna be demolished?"

# # #

"I found her snooping around some files." Shalimar reported, loosening her grip on the girl's arm. She seemed to go willingly, but she wasn't going to give her a chance to run. Chris pulled her arm away and glanced at her sulkily.  
  
"Wow look, it's Proxy Blue." said Brennan.  
  
Chris grinned.  
  
Mason's eyes widened as her recognised her. It was the silly girl from the cafe. Irritatingly, she recognised him too.  
  
"Oh, it's you. Didn't know you had more than a passing interest in this business. So, you here to unravel the mysteries of the old Genomex place?"  
  
"Not exactly."  
  
"Really? Then what're you doing here?"  
  
"I might ask you the very same question."  
  
"I asked first." She crossed her arms.  
  
Mason stared at her, but she wasn't going to be intimidated. He took a moment to regain his composure, then said. "Nothing you would find interesting. Now, for your answer."  
  
"Well, erm...y'see I just came here on my lunch break, I managed to duck under the barriers the demolition guys put up. Had to hide from them, but I got round to the front of the building and I found the front doors were open so I thought I'd have a look around..."  
  
"A gripping tale, I'm sure. Now go." He pointed down the corridor behind him.  
  
"Wait, Mason, who is she?" Adam asked.  
  
"She is a waitress who works at a nearby restaurant. It was there that I had the great pleasure of meeting her."  
  
"Fine. There's nothing interesting here anyway. But don't think I'm not gonna get to the bottom of this." She smiled and walked off down the corridor. 


End file.
